It has been known to rotate products in a process or packaging line by rotating the product carried by a conveyor. The following disclosures illustrate such prior systems: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,202,392; 6,435,332; 6,698,163 and EP 1 801 014 A1, copies of which are attached and each of which is incorporated herein by reference. As one example of a product handling device, products are turned relative to and while on a supporting device like a product bucket. In such an exemplary device, facial tissues are produced in select count stacks or clips comprising one flat tissue lying atop another in an elongated flat shaped stack being generally longer than it is wide. Such clips are then packaged in various cartons and supplied to consumers.
There are two primary designs for tissue packaging generally used in the industry. One type of carton is referred to as “flats” and is generally rectangular. For flat cartons, the clip is simply pushed endwise from a cartoner bucket into the box. Typically, the box has at least one major panel generally parallel with the tissues and an opening in the panel provides access for tissue removal for use. Another type of carton is referred to as “cubes” or “boutiques” and is more square or boxlike than the rectangular cartons of flats. This type of carton is more confining and the clips must be bent into a U-shape and, thusly configured, pushed sideways into the boutique carton. In a similar manner, a major panel adjacent the bend in the confined clip is provided with an opening for accessing the tissues for withdrawal and use.
To provide packaging in both a flat carton and a boutique carton, manufacturers typically have two options. One option is for the manufacturer to have two cartoning machines wherein one would handle a flat carton and the other would handle a boutique carton. This approach, however, involves the additional cost of an extra machine. A second option is to use a single machine capable of packaging one type of carton and being further capable of packaging the second type of carton upon reconfiguration. In this case, the machine would be stopped and many changeover parts added/removed to reconfigure the machine to render it operable for properly configuring the clip for the new carton. Such a process, however, results in production downtime and significant expense for changeover parts.
More recently, there have been some devices capable of packaging tissue in either a flat carton or boutique carton in an improved manner without extensive downtime and with a fewer number of changeover parts. One such device and system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,392 (the '392 patent), which patent is expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully expressly reproduced herein. In that device, a tissue handling apparatus includes a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets wherein each bucket includes a floor having a transverse or laterally extending or directed channel. The buckets are oriented such that the transverse channel extends substantially perpendicular to the machine direction of the buckets along the bucket conveyor. All clips of whatever final configuration are fed into the buckets with their elongated length oriented in a downstream direction parallel to the machine direction of the buckets so that the longer clips span over the narrower transverse channel in their respective buckets.
When it is desired to fill a boutique carton, the clip is maintained in its original position spanning the channel, its length being longer than the channel is wide. A tamp or confiner is moved in over the clip and pushes an intermediate portion of the clip down into the channel into a U-shaped configuration with a central portion of the clip at least partially down in the channel and the outer ends contacted by the bucket floor or the channel walls and being directed upwardly. From this position, the U-shaped clip may now be pushed transversely and sideways out of the bucket and into a boutique carton. When it is desired to fill flat cartons, however, the clip is turned on and with respect to the bucket so that it extends across the bucket and parallel to the transverse channel. This turning causes the flat clip to fall into the transverse channel. From there, it can then be pushed transversely and endwise into a flat carton.
In order to turn and drop the clip and maintain it in appropriate alignment at the same time, the handling apparatus includes two offset opposed pushers engaging side edges of the flat clip at offset longitudinal positions to carefully turn the clip and allow the clip to drop into the channel. In essence, with the bucket remaining rotationally stationary, the pushers rotate the clip relative to the bucket to position the clip in the transverse channel. The pushers may comprise plates extendable transversely into the buckets from opposite sides and into and above the transverse channels. Ends of the pushers engage and twist or turn the clip. Once in alignment with the channel, the clips are aligned with internal facing sides of the pushers which configure and guide the clip through its fall into the channel.
Thereafter, the pushers are retracted and the clips are conveyed downstream to a cartoner where they can be pushed endwise transversely across the buckets along the channels and into a flat carton. The pushers are carried on a barrel loader-like apparatus disposed on opposite sides of the bucket conveyor and are either stopped or disabled when it is desired to configure the clips for loading boutique cartons where the clips are not turned. No change parts are required for selectively turning or not turning the clips.
In another form of a prior approach to tissue clip handling, a product support has a flat bottom. The tissue clips resting on that surface are turned on that surface and relative to that surface. Such a device is shown in EP 1 801 014 A1, incorporated herein.
Manufacturers continually strive to improve the packaging process, making the packaging of tissue and other items more efficient and cost effective. For example, the device described in the '392 patent includes a relatively large number of parts dedicated to turning the clips relative to the buckets when packaging flats. These parts require regular maintenance and/or replacement. That device further includes an increased length of the bucket conveyor so as to accommodate the pushers and turning of the clips in their respective buckets along the conveyor. This in turn leads to an increased number of buckets, an overall larger machine footprint and associated costs. The relatively larger machine footprint may present challenges due to space constraints and may mandate a more complex line layout, which further increases costs.
Moreover, in the device of EP 1801014 A1, there is no provision for selective orientation of tissue clips in different packaging configurations.
Accordingly, it has been one objective of the invention to provide a single, improved product handling apparatus and methods for selectively turning products and presenting them in different orientations as they move through a processing or packaging line.
It has been a further objective of the invention to provide improved apparatus and methods for transferring products such as tissue clips for proper orientation for insertion into flat cartons and for selective transferring of tissue clips for loading into boutique cartons.
It has been a further objective of the invention to provide improved apparatus and methods for handling differently configured products on the same handling apparatus having a reduced number of parts and accommodating varied orientation of the products with a reduced machine footprint.